- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
- Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World
- Leadership: In Turbulent Times
- Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food
- The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
- The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism
- Personal History
- Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals
2020
- Stillness Is the Key
- Daily Rituals: Women at Work
- The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods
- The Tinderbox Way
- How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
- Thinking in Systems: A Primer
- Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors
- Elizabeth I
- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
- Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
2019
- It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
- Beyond the Mountain
- Broken Angels: A Novel (Takeshi Kovacs Novels Book 2)
- Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
- The Reading Zone, 2nd Edition: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers
- Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done
- Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play
- Teach Yourself to Live: The classic guide to finding happiness
- 10-Minute Mindfulness: 71 Habits for Living in the Present Moment
- Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
- When to Jump: If the Job You Have Isn't the Life You Want
- Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More
- The Queen of Swords
2018
- Destination Simple
- Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives
- The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
- The Tao of Pooh
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
- Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life
- Essential: Essays by The Minimalists
- The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
- The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge
- Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
- Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less
- The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (Signed Edition)
- It's Not About the F-Stop
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
- Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
- Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
2017
- On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
- Remote: Office Not Required
- Forms of Japan
- Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley
- The World According to Star Wars
- In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
- We Learn Nothing: Essays and Cartoons
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life
- Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence
2016
- A Tale for the Time Being
- Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better: Wise Advice for Leaning into the Unknown
- We Are All Weird
- Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration
- Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition
- Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)
- Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed: Conversations with Paul Cronin
- Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
- The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5
- A Thousand Mornings
- The Dip
- Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Incerto)
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
- Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits--to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life
- The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work
- You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- Becoming a Writer
- Cat's Cradle: A Novel
- Devotion: A Memoir
- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up : the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
2015
- Make Your Mark: The Creative's Guide to Building a Business with Impact (The 99U Book Series 3)
- Uncommon Genius: How Great Ideas are born
- How Google Works
- The Beaten Track (Kindle Single)
- On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas)
- Superhuman by Habit: A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time
- The Barefoot Warrior: The Journey of a Young Adult in Search of His True Nature
- Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha
- Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
- 25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life (text only)
- The Dalai Lama's Cat
- Your Best Year Ever: 7 simple ways to shift your thinking and take charge of your life
- The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Art of Purring
- Chasing the Dragon: Running to Get High
- Simpler: Declutter Your Life and Focus on What's Most Important
2014
Books I've read
Here you find my highlighted passages and notes for 102 of the books I've read. I update this site semi-regularly, to add more books. Sometimes, the notes and highlights for some books might also change as I re-read some of them.
The inspiration for this project is Derek Sivers and his booknotes.. I do this to better remember what I read. This is an attempt to make better notes, and to help future me see how I got to where I got to. Long-term, I would like to use this to see patterns of growth in my thinking and beliefs.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
by: Matthew Walker
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Latest research on why we sleep, what happens when we sleep, and why it is so very important. Must read. And then get your 8hours of sleep opportunity.
Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World
by: Brooke McAlary
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Leadership: In Turbulent Times
by: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A riveting comparison of leadership of four past US Presidents. An amazing book, very well written, riveting and thought provoking.
Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food
by: Catherine Shanahan
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Another take on what our diet should be for maximum wellness.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
by: Robert Iger
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism
by: Kyle Chayka
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.An understandingly critical look into what minimalism is, what it wanted to be and what it can be.
Personal History
by: Katharine Graham
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.An inspiring story about Katherine Graham and her re-incarnation as a business woman.
Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals
by: Tyler Cowen
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Recommended as a part of the Virtual Reading Club at Farnam Street Blog. Interesting, thought provoking take about economics.
Daily Rituals: Women at Work
by: Mason Currey
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Daily rituals of women artists and creators over the years. A women-only counterpart to Mason's first book - Daily Rituals
The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods
by: A. G. Sertillanges, Mary Ryan
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Recommendation: From Cal Newport's Deep work.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
by: David Epstein
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Thinking in Systems: A Primer
by: Donella H. Meadows
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart
by: Shane Snow
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
by: Cal Newport
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors
by: Sarah Stodola
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
by: Alfred Lansing
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
by: Jaron Lanier
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by: James Clear
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
by: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Broken Angels: A Novel (Takeshi Kovacs Novels Book 2)
by: Richard K. Morgaon
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
by: Steve House, Scott Johnston
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Reading Zone, 2nd Edition: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers
by: Nancie Atwell, Ann Merkel
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done
by: Laura Vanderkam
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play
by: Mitchel Resnick, Ken Robinson
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Teach Yourself to Live: The classic guide to finding happiness
by: Charles Garfield Lott Du Cann
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
10-Minute Mindfulness: 71 Habits for Living in the Present Moment
by: S.J. Scott, Barrie Davenport
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
by: Annie Duke
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
When to Jump: If the Job You Have Isn't the Life You Want
by: Mike Lewis
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More
by: Courtney Carver
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Destination Simple
by: Brooke McAlary
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A short sweet book with a very different take on minimalism. The actions/steps/prinicpals toward minimalism in this book are very approachable compared to other books on minimalism I've read. They are not prescriptive, more like principals which can be applied at our own pace. Huge emphasis on mindfulness, on taking small steps which feel good. Honestly it is all there in the Slow Home blog & podcast - but still worth reading in this short distilled format.
Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives
by: Tim Harford
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.On how messiness is important, human and that maybe tidiness is overrated. How messiness might improve creativity, productivity and success in business.
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
by: Steven Kotler
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.An amazing book getting into the nitty gritty of flow with entertaining and amazing stories of adventure and adventurous people. This is a good book if you want a summary of flow research, want to know what to do to get to flow more often and in the context of daily life (and maybe some adventure sports too).
The Tao of Pooh
by: Benjamin Hoff
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.How Winnie the Pooh shows us the way - how broken our lives can be, and how awesome they can be. Short, sweet, entertaining, profound. Something to read and reflect. Recommended for those interested in learning how to live.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
by: Stephen King
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A Memoir about writing by Stephen King. Enough said. If you are interested in writers and on writing, a must read.
Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life
by: Tonianne DeMaria Barry, Jim Benson
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.How to apply the 'Kanban' task management methodoly to our private (non-work) lives and projects. This is a short, informative and easy to read book. The insights on the nature of our personal project, the problems with a deadline-driven approach in our complex and sometimes unpredictable lives were super valuable. This methodology works great for those of us with the project Hydra problem: we have a bunch of projects, where each project can spawn more, we have the shiny object syndrome and difficulty finisihing projects. If you recognize yourself in this description, this book might be useful to you.
Essential: Essays by The Minimalists
by: Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
by: Leo Babauta
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A short guide on what it means to be a minimalist, to lead a minimalist life. If you are just discovering mimimalism this book is a good read. It has actionable suggestions for you to try. If you are a reader of Leo's blog or have read a lot of literature on minimalism, then this book might not be worth it for you.
The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge
by: Pia Edberg
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
by: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
by: Ashlee Vance
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less
by: Tiffany Dufu
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A different kind of a feminist manifesto - which recognizes the world as it is. On how, as a woman and a parent, maybe sometimes, to get what you want, a ‘be the water” way of changing our behavior and see the world warp accordingly to fit around us. I really loved this book - it brought to light quite a few inconsistencies in my thinking and pointed me to a few strategies to improve my communication. The biggest takeaway — it's right in the title — which has revolutionized my life is this: I am a responsible and rational person with an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. So, what I don't want to do, I just don't do – and if it's super important, it will get done by the person to whom it is superimportant! Word.
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (Signed Edition)
by: Michael Lewis
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
It's Not About the F-Stop
by: Jay Maisel
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.An awesome book about photography: essays about photography accompanied by photographs from Jay Maisel
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
by: Mark Manson
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
by: Marie Kondō
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
by: Sebastian Junger
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
by: William Zinsser
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.I rate this a solid 10. A book to revisit many times in the future. It has a lot to teach and I have a lot to learn - as I write more.
I would love to write like him. Humorous but straight & simple. What did I learn in my first iteration? Use precise words. Use verbs. Then use nouns. Use active tense. Use passive if necessary- but maintain the same tense throughout. Use precise colorful verbs- not flowery decorative ones. keep it short. Keep it simple. Write unambiguously. Own your point of view, your opinion. Review and edit. Remove redundancy and be clear who the narrator is. Be personal, not prescriptive. Practice everyday. Seek out beautiful writing, analyze, assimilate it.
And of course, imitate - especially the style you resonate with, clear thinking will lead to clear writing. Writing well will let you know how well you understand a subject and how well you think. Don't patronize the reader. Assume they are smart. But write logically, piece by piece. Make each sentence build up on the last in a logical, linear sequence.
Remote: Office Not Required
by: David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason Fried
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Forms of Japan
by: Michael Kenna, Yvonne Meyer-Lohr
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley
by: Antonio Garcia Martinez
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The World According to Star Wars
by: Cass R. Sunstein
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed
by: Carl Honore
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
by: Phil Knight
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
We Learn Nothing: Essays and Cartoons
by: Tim Kreider
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
by: Cal Newport
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life
by: Brian Grazer, Charles Fishman
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Skip it.
Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence
by: Andrew Juniper
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration
by: Scott Doorley, Scott Witthoft
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better: Wise Advice for Leaning into the Unknown
by: Pema Chodron
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)
by: Marcus Aurelius, Gregory Hays
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition
by: Henepola Gunaratana
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed: Conversations with Paul Cronin
by: Paul Cronin
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
by: Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.https://www.amazon.com/Everything-That-Remains-Memoir-Minimalists-ebook/dp/B00HGJ9D6K
The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5
by: Taylor Pearson
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
A Thousand Mornings
by: Mary Oliver
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Beautiful poems by Mary Oliver
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Incerto)
by: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
by: Greg McKeown
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
by: Joan C. Williams, Rachel Dempsey, Anne-Marie Slaughter
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
by: Marshall B. Rosenberg
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work
by: Scott Berkun
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.A good fun read on what it is to work at Auttomatic. The highlights I found useful are the ones related to project management and skill-building - which I have subsequently tried to use in my projects.
You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)
by: Jeff Goins
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by: Anne Lamott
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Becoming a Writer
by: Dorothea Brande
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.Amazing book with some practical tips on how to get into the 'mood' of writing, rather than technical aspects of writing. All I write are emails, and blog posts. But this helped me tremendously with some techniques.
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up : the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
by: Marie Kondo
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
by: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translator)
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Make Your Mark: The Creative's Guide to Building a Business with Impact (The 99U Book Series 3)
by: 99U, Jocelyn K. Glei
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Uncommon Genius: How Great Ideas are born
by: Denise Shekerjian
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
How Google Works
by: Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Beaten Track (Kindle Single)
by: Sarah Menkedick
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas)
by: Seneca, C. D. N. Costa
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha
by: Suneel Dhand
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Barefoot Warrior: The Journey of a Young Adult in Search of His True Nature
by: Kyle Weaver
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life (text only)
by: Lorenzo Dominguez, Stephanie Staal
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Your Best Year Ever: 7 simple ways to shift your thinking and take charge of your life
by: Kelly Exeter
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Art of Purring
by: David Michie
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Chasing the Dragon: Running to Get High
by: Mark Matthews
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
Simpler: Declutter Your Life and Focus on What's Most Important
by: Mike Burns
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
